The charms of Lake Charlevoix

The charms of Lake Charlevoix

Inching our way south along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, we slid into the narrow channel, through the bridge to Round Lake, and on to Lake Charlevoix. The town of Charlevoix sits at this junction of big and small lakes with beaches on two sides.  We anchored southeast of the town proper but a scenic bike ride along the lakeshore back into the heart of things.  We chose this more secluded spot since the marinas in Round Lake were full as well as the anchorage during the week long Venetian Festival underway on the waterfront park. We did peddle back for the concert featuring Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels – think “CC Ryder”. As Steve observed after many of these outdoor concerts, the music volume is in direct relation to its quality. Louder is usually not so great. The warm up act, however, featured six women, of not so youthful age, with a fine backup band who sang blues and rock standards with gusto – we could actually understand the words and enjoy the band riffs.

 

 

 

Our ride into town passed through the exclusive Belvedere Club established in 1878. The public street bisects this summer home enclave on the edge of town which is heavily posted with no trespassing signs “please”, so we did not violate any laws other than voyeurism – peeking at the stately Victorians clustered along the bluff fronted with sweeping lawns. A gracious, private, and elite way of life harkening back to the early 20^th century is still alive and well in this corner of Northern Michigan.

In contrast to the quiet streets of the Belvedere Club, the main street of Charlevoix was packed with shoppers and families enjoying the carnival rides, street food, and music. The weather was perfect for strolling the waterfront park and people watching.  The sites included a cruise ship that pulled into the town dock for the evening’s concert. While there were not as many art galleries as in Harbor Springs, we did get a chuckle out of the gallery displaying the mix media of Stephen Palmer – he makes fish out of crutches and found objects. If only there was more wall space on this boat!

Before leaving Charlevoix, we made a stop at the Farmer’s Market. While we had stocked up on the basics at the grocery store, the market provided fresh picked lettuce, salmon, whitefish dip, lamp chops, and best of all cherries and a cherry pie. Oh, yes, a couple scones for Steve’s mid-morning snack – white chocolate and raspberry – thankfully he saved me a bite.

Staying on Lake Charlevoix, we headed southerly to the tip of the lake and anchored off Boyne City. This little town was a perfect cruiser stop – we didn’t even need our bikes to enjoy the treats here.  They have an extensive water front park area with a free shoppers dock making it easy to get ashore. (In Charlevoix we put the dink next to the boat ramp thanks to the helpful ramp attendant who also provided directions to local shops and sites.) Boyne City also has a Chamber office on the edge of the park and they provided advice on the happenings in town.  They even offered to get us a ride to the production at the high school if we wanted to partake.  After fortifying ourselves with Moomers ice cream, we checked out the shops – just looking – but we found another interesting artist making “lamps” from salvaged copper or brass piping and gauges. My description of these “pieces” falls short of the impact, but no matter how unique, sadly, they wouldn’t work on the boat. (They don’t even provide much light either.) The free dancing in the street music was refreshingly worth another trip to shore. Almost every night there is something happening in this little town in one or another of the public spaces – or like the dancing in the streets, they just blocked off a block and kicked up their heels (or paws) in the middle of the street – honestly one lady was dancing with her very talented golden lab. Dare I also mention the beautiful mild weather with rain holding off until after dark making for perfect sleeping temps? We soldier onJ

 

From the 19th Century to the 21st overnight

From the 19^th Century to the 21^st

After waiting for a weather window we finally tore ourselves away from the delights of living in the 19^th century horse and buggy era of Mackinac Island and crossed officially into Lake Michigan on glassy calm seas.  Our first night on Lake Michigan found us in St James City the protected harbor on Beaver Island.  This stop, almost time travel back to the 1950s, was a nice transition back to the 21^st century. Beaver Island has an interesting history which we learned about at our stops there.  First we visited the Mormon Print Shop which is home to the local history museum. James Strang led a break-away Mormon group to this island but he was killed by two “disillusioned” followers and the remnants of the group left the island to be replaced by Irish immigrants who were evicted from their island home in Ireland. Fishing provided the main source of employment until the stocks were depleted which we discovered at the island’s Marine Museum. Today the islanders enjoy welcoming tourists especially those attracted by the many musical and visual art events hosted by local groups. All of this takes place in an atmosphere of rural simplicity which was in sharp contrast to the high style and polish of Mackinac Island. In contrast to the heyday of 19^th century resort life, St. James City appears more like a western frontier town  - on the water. Our afternoon bike ride along the shore was a relaxing interlude for our next stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With only a few hours of bumpy water we crossed easterly to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and our anchorage on Little Traverse Bay in Harbor Springs.  Even though the forecast called for some waves in the morning, we wanted to get across the open stretch and into the protection of the shoreline before the predicted strengthening winds kicked up in the afternoon.  Harbor Springs is a must stop for most loopers and it is the 21^st century version of an upscale summer resort town. The sparkling downtown streets bustled with well turned out tourists shopping in the trendy stores and munching on treats like fudge and ice cream (called Gelato) or dining al fresco. Hopping does not describe the scene on a Monday afternoon, so we were glad to have missed the weekend crush.  Shouts and hoots from nearby clubs and beaches echoed late into the night. The sailing school even had boats out for a moonlight sail. The young sailors were quiet compared to the party boat charter that returned for a final cruise around the harbor serenading us all with slightly off-key song as they danced on the bow. Beautiful, charming, and manicured, but not peaceful and quiet is Harbor Springs. 

 

 

While we know many of our friends are steaming under higher than normal temps or drowning under excessive rainfall, we are again pulling out the sweats – with a high of 65 today. Thankfully one result is the kids who yesterday spent all afternoon and evening into the darkness screaming on the float and beach next to our boat have found indoor fun this afternoon. A little wind and rain with these cooler temperatures are not a big problem compared to some of the extremes in other parts of the country. Fortunately, we have enough slack in our “schedule” to wait out any unpleasant events Mother Nature sends our way. As a bonus we got to enjoy Little Traverse Bay for a second night!